Heart of the Hitokiri
by Miss Jassie
Summary: Spring arrives in Tokyo...yet Kenshin is doubting whether he should stay at the Kamiya dojo. When he decides to leave for Kaoru's sake, how will she react? And what will happen when a new enemy appears?


Author's Note: I wrote this Rurouni Kenshin fan fic a few years ago, and it was the first I had ever written. I wrote it when I was extremely obssessed with the RK series, and I had only read two or three volumes of the manga at the time. The writing style and wording is a bit amateurish, but please treat it kindly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own any of the characters in the story. Rurouni Kenshin belongs to and was created by Nobuhiro Watsuki.

------------------------

The way of the warrior was one of sorrow. A hand drenched in blood; a sword cursed by lives gone. This was a warrior's life. A warrior could choose no side, yet he could never fight for no one. A forgotten past, a solemn oath, and a promise to serve were what kept a warrior alive. One warrior, however, chose a different path; his name was Himura Kenshin.

Kenshin smiled as he walked out and breathed in the crisp, fresh spring air, "Ah, you can tell winter has finally left. This one is somehow saddened by its leave, though."

Kaoru looked at Kenshin as though he were crazy, "What? Spring is more beautiful than winter! Kenshin, winter makes things wither away!"

Kenshin smiled at this remark and said, "Ah, yes, Kaoru-dono, but it also brings rebirth to the plants. In that way, winter is needed for spring to arrive."

Speechless, Kaoru stared at Kenshin for a moment. She then shook her head and said, "What comes from your lips sometimes astounds me. When I first met you, you seemed like an airhead _rurouni_, but once I saw your fighting skills, I knew that was just a facade."

Modestly, Kenshin shook his head, "No, that is not so. The warrior side of this one made him lose that self; after the war ended, this one reverted back to his normal ways. If you think about it, Kaoru-dono, the_hitokiri_ side of this one is just a facade." He then turned and went inside, leaving the awestruck Kaoru outside to collect her thoughts.

A voice came from behind Kaoru, "He never ceases to amaze, does he?"

Kaoru turned and saw that Sano had come back from his trip to the city, "Oh, Sano. I didn't know you came back. Is Yahiko with you?"

Sano shook his head, "No, he went along by himself. He's still kind of crushed that he broke his favorite sword."

Kaoru sighed, "Ah, the mind of a child is so easily distracted. If I could, I would go back to my childhood. At least then, I would have a reason for being protected."

Sano smiled and said, "Are you still irritated that Kenshin chooses to protect you so willingly? I would take it as an honor, Kaoru. Not every day does one get to be protected by a former _hitokiri_."

Frustrated, Kaoru looked down at the ground, "I just wish he wouldn't be so ready to give his life to protect another life. If I were half as good of a swordsman as my father was, I would be able to protect myself. Then, Kenshin wouldn't fight for me."

Sano shook his head, "No, he would still protect you. Even if you were the strongest swordsman in all of Japan, Kenshin would still risk his life to protect you. That is what you call unconditional love."

Kaoru shook her head, "That's the point. Because he wants to protect me, if he dies, it will be my fault. I couldn't bear living the rest of my life knowing that I was connected to his death."

As tears fell from Kaoru's eyes, Kenshin stood behind a tree, listening solemnly to her words. Just knowing that she was safe made him feel at ease. Even if his death was to be lost by protecting her, she would still be alive. But at what cost? Her living her life in guilt over his death? No, that would be even worse than death. It would be eternal sorrow more than one could bear. Maybe if he left this place, no more would someone have to suffer on his account. Living here only brought pain and sorrow to Megumi, Yahiko, Sano, and most of all, Kaoru. He figured he would have to leave at some point. If he left later, his presence would be missed too much, but if he left now, they would forget about him. He decided to leave that night, to save the others pain they did not need.

After the moon had risen, and moonlight was spreading across the open field, Kenshin sighed and bid farewell to the dojo which had become his home. He wondered, how he had let himself, a _rurouni_, become so close to people that he normally would have stayed away from. Yet, their kindness and self-sacrifice had let him let his guard down. Without a word, he sighed and walked away from his one true home.

The next morning, Megumi screamed. She ran to every room, and she saw that Kenshin had left. She hurriedly ran to Kaoru's room and said, "Ken-san's gone!"

With her eyes wide from shock, Kaoru looked at Megumi and said, "What?"

After everyone was up, they split up across the town and looked for Kenshin. Megumi checked the local taverns, while Yahiko and Sanosuke checked local dojos to find clues that might explain Kenshin's disappearance. While the others did this, Kaoru walked aimlessly around the town, her eyes etched with fear and worry. What if he never came back? If he never did come back, what would she do? Without him, she was lost; he was the one who always kept her level-headed, no matter what the situation was. Yet, she could no longer hold her calm exterior. Falling to her knees, she broke down in tears.

After she had stopped crying, she walked more and saw that the cherry blossoms had begun to bloom. She smiled solemnly at the blossoms and remembered Kenshin's promise, which took place under those cherry blossoms.

He had said, 'This one will protect you, no matter what. If you are to be in danger at any time, this one will be there right by your side, fighting for you!'

Those words, for some reason, brought her comfort at that moment. She remembered that whenever Kenshin was depressed, or distressed, he would go down to the river to sort out his thoughts. She looked up and ran towards the path that led to the river.

Was he wrong to leave like that, so suddenly? By now, they were probably searching for him everywhere. No one would find him here, though; they wouldn't think he would be able to find solace in a river, although it did calm him very much. The river's features were soft, and its surface reflected the surroundings as though it were a mirror. The trees, the sun, and the sky could be seen on the river's surface. Another reflection appeared in the water, on the other side of the river. Kenshin looked up and saw that Kaoru was looking at him, with tears on the brim of her eyes.

Kenshin looked at her with widened eyes. He thought no one would find him here, yet she had found him so quickly. He then said gently, "How did you find this one so quickly, Kaoru-dono? There are many places this one could have been, but why did you choose here to look?"

Kaoru shook her head angrily, "No matter where you would have been, I would have found you. If you had gone to the ends of the earth, I still would have found you."

Kenshin smiled and said, "No need to search, Kaoru-dono. This one left the dojo of his own free will. This one could no longer stay there. It is a _rurouni's_ life, after all, to wander with no home."

Kaoru walked into the river and said, "Why can't you just stop being a _rurouni_ and stay with us at the dojo? Yahiko wouldn't want you to leave, since he would lose a great role model. Sano wouldn't want you to leave because then he would be losing a sparring partner. Megumi wouldn't want you to leave because then she would be losing a protector."

Kenshin smiled again, "What do _you_ want, Kaoru-dono? You always care too much for the other people around you, but you never realize what you want. What do you want?"

Kaoru lowered her eyes and looked down, solemnly.

Kenshin sighed and said, "This one must ask you again, Kaoru-dono: What do you want? If you choose not to speak, then this one must choose to leave. If this one were to leave, you may never see him again. If you do not want this one to leave, then just answer this question."

Kaoru looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. She could not answer. If she did, he might think she was a fool. Was he joking with her, saying he would leave forever if she did not answer?

Regretfully, Kenshin turned his back to her and went to walk away, when Kaoru ran across the water and put her arms around his back. Surprised, Kenshin turned his head and saw that she was crying.

Kaoru wept and said, "I want you to stay with me! I want you to keep protecting me, but I want you to stop risking your life for me! Whenever I see you fighting, I feel as though I am partly responsible! I just want for all of us to stay together, as a family!"

Kenshin's eyes widened. A family. He hadn't heard that word in such a long time. They were like a family to him, although they were all very different from one another, but that was perhaps what brought them together in the first place. They all balanced out each other's weaknesses and strengths.

Kenshin turned to Kaoru and smiled, "Thank you, Kaoru-dono. This one is sorry to have worried you so much. Forgive this one." He then silently lifted her face and kissed her cheek.

Kaoru blushed silently as he let go of her face. She smiled and said, "So, you won't be leaving anymore?"

Kenshin shook his head, "No, Kaoru-dono. This one doesn't have any reason to leave, anymore."

Kaoru smiled and said, "Yes, you have a home now."

Kenshin nodded, "Yes, this one does, doesn't he? This one supposes he is no longer a _rurouni_, then."

Kaoru nodded, "Yes, when you agreed to stay, you officially gave up that title, and hopefully, it will stay that way."

Kenshin smiled and said, "Yes, hopefully it will."

After Sano, Megumi, and Yahiko met up with Kenshin and Kaoru, they bombarded him with questions on why he had left with no word of his departure.

Kenshin smiled and said, "This one was confused and somehow wondered why he was here. The reason is clear, now, however."

Sano smiled, knowing what reason he was talking about, "You're not too subtle, are you, Kenshin?"

Kaoru looked at Sano, confused, "Huh? What do you mean, Sano? Kenshin stayed because he wanted to have a place to call home."

Kenshin and Sano looked at each other and smiled. Kaoru was naive about Kenshin's feelings, but he could wait for now. It was not as if he didn't have plenty of time for her to figure it out. However, ominously another looked on, intent on subduing the unknowing Kenshin.

Kenshin looked over at the trees and said, "It seems we are being watched."

Sano nodded, "Yes, it seems so. Should we check it out?"

Pulling out his _sakaboto, _Kenshin nodded and said, "Yes, we should." Silently, he moved swiftly, yet accurately, and his sword's blade landed against the tree, as he moved to hit it.

Sano looked behind the tree and said, "They're gone, Kenshin. It seems you might have a stalker."

Kenshin looked at Sano with a puzzled look on his face, "Why do you say that, Sano?"

Sano pulled a note from the tree and said, "Well, for one thing, whoever was here left you a calling card."

He handed it to Kenshin, and Kenshin looked at it, startled by what it said.

_'The Kaze calls you, Hitokiri Battosai, the one who is said to have taken hundreds of lives during the war. I await your presence. Kaze'_

Kenshin looked at the piece of paper again and said, "It seems as if this one should know this person, since they knew about this one's past."

Thrilled, Sano looked at Kenshin and said, "So, this means we have a challenge?"

Kenshin sighed and said, "It looks like Kaoru-dono will worry again."

Sano smiled and said, excitedly, "This is awesome! Finally, something I can handle! Kenshin, I must say, you're too tough to beat. I can't gain practice if I don't win, right?"

Lightheartedly, Kenshin smiled, "This one supposes not."

After the excitement over a new challenge, Kenshin and Sano walked over again to Kaoru, Megumi, and Yahiko. Kenshin didn't know if he and Sano would prevail in this battle, but he still found hope from the others somehow. He had to fight to protect what was dear to him; what was dear to him most was his friends. With hope in his heart, he walked home with the others, and he somehow knew everything would be okay. Now only time will tell.

-------------------------------

Final Thoughts: This fan fic starts out light and sweet...but there are dramatic moments ahead. I intended for this prologue to be a one-shot story, but things didn't turn out that way (since I wanted to keep writing about Kaoru and Kenshin). I made sure their romance was deeper in my fan fic, and that it was clear Kenshin had feelings for Kaoru. (I made Kaoru the clueless one instead of Kenshin!) I hope all of you who took the time to read this enjoyed this first installment.

Lastly...Please review! I will read each and every one of them, and I will update as soon as I can!


End file.
